My great grandfather was the poet lauereate (sp?) of Kentucky. I don't know when, however, and I have never had the opportunity to read anything he wrote. In my feeble attempt to find myself (rudely and carelessly at the expense of others), I would like to take the focus off of my own miserable existance and explore the burden of my ancestors in hope to understand where I come from. I hesitate to ask for assistance (for fear it be perceived as boasting) as to where I can go (besides hell) to find the poetry of my great grandfather, as it does not appear in these Archives. Can anyone tell me where I might go to find the information that may be helpful to my journey? I do know the name of one poem, only, (The Moneyless Man), but my mother is uncertain (her memory fails her) if this was written by my great grandfather.....or his son....her own father. Any direction would be appreciated.

Kentucky's Poet Laureates
Featured below are Kentucky's Poet Laureates and some of their poetical works available for check out from the Kentucky Department for Libraries & Archives. To reserve books from this list, librarians may contact Interlibrary Loan at (502) 564-8300, ext. 327. Members of the general public may request materials by contacting their public library, or check materials out on-site with a KDLA library card.

Is there no secret place on the face of the earth
Where charity dwelleth, where virtue has birth?
Where bosoms in mercy and kindness will heave,
When the poor and the wretched shall ask and receive?
Is there no place at all where a knock from the poor
Will bring a kind angel to open the door?
Ah, search the wide world wherever you can,
There is no open door for a Moneyless Man!

Go, look in yon hall where the chandelier's light
Drives off with its splender the darkness of night,
Where the rich hanging velvet in shadowy fold
Sweeps gracefully down with its trimmings of gold,
And the mirrors of silver take up, and renew,
In long lighted vistas the 'wildering view:
Go there! At the banquet, and find if you can,
A welcoming smile for a Moneyless Man!

Go, look in yon church of the cloud-reaching spire,
Which gives to the sun his same look of red fire,
Where the arches and columns are gorgeous within,
And the walls seem as pure as a soul without sin;
Walk down the long aisles, see the rich and the great
In the pomp and the pride of their worldly estate;

Walk down in your patches, and find, if you can,
Who opens a pew to a Moneyless Man.

Go, look in the Banks, where Mammon has told
His hundreds and thousands of silver and gold;
Where, safe from the hands of the starving and poor,
Lies pile upon pile of the glittering ore!
Walk up to their counters - Ah, there you may stay
Till your limbs grow old, till your hairs grow gray,
And you'll find at the Banks not one of the clan
With money to lend to a Moneyless Man!

Go, look to yon Judge, in his dark-flowing gown,
With the scales wherein law weigheth equity down;
Where he frowns on the weak and smiles on the strong,
And punishes right whilst he justifies wrong;
Where juries their lips to the Bible have laid,
To render a verdict - they've already made;
Go there, in the court-room, and find if you can,
Any law for the cause of a Moneyless Man;

Then go to your hovel - no raven has fed
The wife who has suffered too long for her bread;
Kneel down by her pallet, and kiss the death-frost
From the lips of the angel your poverty lost;
Then turn in your agony upward to God,
And bless while it smites you the chastening rod,
And you'll find, at the end of your life's little span,
There's a welcome above for a Moneyless Man!

HENRY THROOP STANTON
was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1834;
educated in Maysville, Kentucky;
entered West Point but withdrew; became editor, then lawyer;
was Adjutant-General in Confederacy; returned to editorship;
died in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1899.

I will, at this time, tell you all that you have undoubtedly been witness to a modern day miracle. Johnny is absolutely and positively correct in his belief that there is no such thing as coincidence (which I knew already). and the Lord has so blessed him in being the instrument of this miracle. I can't even begin to explain how all the things in my great grandfather's poem are speaking directly to me as I suffer this turn in my life. Perhaps, even his writing this particular poem was no coincidence if, even then, he was unaware it was written to one of his desendants. I am so thankful to be able to hear from him now. Thank you Lord, and Johnny, and all of you who have been so kind to see that this played out exactly as it was supposed to do.

Henry T. Stanton, I assume your ancestral grandfather, was not, in fact, poet laureate of Kentucky. Kentucky did not create an official "Poet Laureate" position until long after Henry died. But he was quite a poet, none the less. He was also quite a warrior, serving as an officer (Lt., Capt., Major) in the CSA. He performed many heroic acts which you can read about in the "Official Records of the War of the Rebellion". It is online, with a search engine, at Cornell University's "Making of America" site. .[cdl.library.cornell.edu] />
Henry is my 1st cousin, 3x removed and I have been researching his life for over a dozen years. And the lives of the rest of the Stantons and the extended family just prior to and during the Civil War. They were involved in subversive activities...and organizations. And other things.

On the theme of the Moneyless Man, there's this anonymous verse, first recorded, I believe, by Washington Irving (1783-1859) in his 'Tales of a Traveller, Volume 2', as being 'Lines from an Inn Window':

'Tis a very good world that we live in,
To lend, or to spend, or to give in;
But to beg, or to borrow, or get a man's own.
'Tis the very worst world, sir, that ever was known.

Ian, I'm glad you shared 'Lines from an Inn Window' as I otherwise would have missed posts from ilza and Penny that contain much information to assist me in researching my ancestor. Penny, I'm not sure what that makes us, but assuredly related. I was able to spend an entire day in Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, on November 18th. They have a great historical library. I was only able to scratch the surface, but did come away with some copies of letters. I was able to leaf through a few of his poetry books. The quaint historical town was hosting their annual Christmas festival the day we were there so we stayed until nightfall. It was a gorgeous evening with ballet on the Old Captial lawn, horse drawn carriage rides, singers on the cobblestone streets, and a festive atmosphere that surpassed any I've ever encountered before. The cemetary is on a bluff overlooking the Kentucky River and Daniel Boone's grave is there also. Anyway, thanks for posting this poem that is in line with 'The Moneyless Man'.
Marty

"The condition of Major Henry T. Stanton, Kentucky's poet laureate,
is slightly changed for the better this evening and the patient is
resting easier. His friends now have hopes for his recovery."
..............................................
Newark Daily Advocate
Saturday, June 08, 1895 Newark, Ohio

Major Henry T. Stanton, the widely known poet, is dying at Frankfort, Ky.
His illness was contracted at the dedication of the Confederate monument in Chicago May 20.

..............................................

Olean Democrat]
Thursday, October 30, 1890 Olean, New York

( WITH PHOTOS/ DRAWINGS OF BOTH)

TWO KENTUCKY POETS

WHO ARE KNOWN ABROAD AS WELL AS AT HOME.

In addition to writing verse Robert Burns Wilson is a water colorist
at no mean ability
- A glimpse of Maj. Stanton's Home Life

Frankfort, Ky., is the home of two men who have made names for themselves in the world of letters, Maj. Henry T. Stanton and Robert Burns
Wilson. Both are known as poets of no mean ability, and the latter is an artist as well as a writer. Mr. Wilson is a man ( etc ... )

Before the civil war Maj. Henry T. Stanton, the well known author of "The
Moneyless Man." was a lawyer.
He entered the Confederate army as captain of Company B,
Fifth Kentucky infantry, was promoted for gallantry, and
served until the end of the struggle.
A poem written by him in "reconstruction days" reads:

Farewell to every record mark
Of cruelties and crimes,
And a welcome to the sunlight
Of dawning better times.

Already from the havoc fields
Where rolled the battle drums,
The busy clang of hammers
And the dim of labor comes.

Let us do our share of labor,
Let us toil and sweat today;
Let us lift our burthened neighbor
From his falling by the way

Maj. Stanton was married to Miss Mattie Lindsay, of Kentucky, in 1856.
She is a beautifnl woman.
The major is a thoroughly domestic man,
and some of his best work has been done while the chiidren
played about his chair arid clambered on his knee.
There were days when his wife tried to shield him from their innocent mirth
and noisy romps by sending them away, but the stillness became opressive
and the experiment usually ended by him asking for them.
Then he, happy as a boy, would have a romp in his (unclear).
He is the father of nine children, one of whom, a (unclear), has developed
considerable poetic ability.

Both Stanton and Wilson are enamored of the Frankfort (unclear)
and frequently (unclear) them by night.
(The last paragraph is unclear)

..............................................
( a rather large article about Camp Douglas)

DOUGLAS'S DEAD,
A Splendid Demonstration In Honor of the Sleeping Heroes

GRAND ARMY MEN WILL TAKE PART
A Handsomo Monument) Will Be Unveiled
with Great Pomp in Chicago On Decoration Day.

( and then he is quoted among those that will take part)

Malor Henry T. Stanton. Frankfort, Ky.

..............................................
( another long article about the same ceremony)

Sandusky Register
Friday, May 31, 1895 Sandusky, Ohio

THE BOYS IN GRAY

Monument to Confederate Dead
Dedicated in Chicago

It is the first of its kind r erected in the North

The dedicatory oration by Lieut. Gen. Wade Hampton,
of South Carolina, followed.
A memorial poem by Major Henry T. Stanton. of Kentucky was next
and the literary portion of the day was closed with an address by
Right Rev. SamueL Fellows, bishop of the Reformed Episcopal
Church, Chicago,
..............................................

Marion Daily Star
Monday, May 09, 1898 Marion, Ohio

VETERAN EDITOR DEAD
Louisville. Ky.. May 9.

Major Henry T. Stanton died of bean failure at Frankfort yesterday at the age of 64.
He was a journalist and for many years edited the Frankfort Yeoman.

..............................................
..............................................
( and the rest of the family ? )

Sheboygan Press
Tuesday, July 25, 1939 Sheboygan, Wisconsin

WILL BE MEMBER OF BRIDAL PARTY

Mrs Lyle Gibson of Kewaskum will be matron of honor at the wedding of Carolyn Ann McKay and Henry Thompson Stanton, Jr., Chicago,
on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 5, at the First Presbyterian church in Wausau. The bride's mother, Mrs. Henry Jay McKay, will entertain at a reception later at the Wausau club. The couple will go to Bermuda on their honeymoon.
...........................................
Berkshire Eagle
Saturday, March 30, 1957 Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Miss Kay Stanton and Henry T. Stanton in,. children of Mrs. Hale
Holden of 780 Holmes Rd. are visiting their father, Henry T. Stanton
of Bronxville, N.Y., during their school vacations.
Miss Stanton is a junior at Miss Hall's School, and her brother, a freshman at Lenox School.

ilza,
I am in awe of the kindness and hospitality shown by virtual strangers at e-mule. The information you have shared in these newspaper articles is priceless to me. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. The lines contain much information that is useful in piecing things together.
Thanks again.
Marty

Marty, It sounds like you have learned quite a bit about Henry T. Stanton. I believe it is mainly his poetry in which you are interested, but Henry led quite an interesting life. During the Civil War, he, his family and the extended family were highly active in a secret, subversive organization. I have spent years researching it and putting pieces of it together, a little at a time. His father, Richard H. Stanton, a 3 term Congressman, was arrested by the Federal government at the beginning of the war and held for months. I have a great deal of info on that - government records, copies of letters, bits of info from various resources which all go together to tell about Richard's experience. I have some photos of the Stanton home in Maysville, taken c.1990, if you're interested. I believe I have a poem or two written by Henry while he was in the military, if you're interested. Henry's younger brother, Clarence, also served the Confederacy in the Navy. He got captured (on land, at Sailor's Creek - how's that for poetic justice) the day before the war ended! He spent months at Johnson's Island. The organization in which the whole family was covertly actively involved was known by various names - Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC), Order of American Knights (OAKs), Sons of Liberty. I have a lot of info - feel free to email me if you're interested in any of this. You're great-grandfather and my great-grandmother were first cousins - I'll check our relationship. Our common ancestor is Phares Throop.